Triker Brian (ICE Adventure)

Hi Steve,

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to put together such a detailed and professional web site devoted totally to Recumbent Triking. The site is very informative and it contains an abundance of information. Most of the information I find on here about the subject is sketchy at best and lacking dedicated content. What you’ve done here is just wonderful! I am happy to be apart of it and contribute as much information and input as I can.

Name: Brian Stuart, Age: 43

Trike: Inspired Cycle EngineeringCustom Adventure 2FS in Blue

Info:

I began my research into recumbent triking in 2008 after reading about the concept in a biking journal. At that time in my life I was riding conventional 2 wheel upright bikes (Mostly a Trek FUEL, as I loved the ability to go anywhere on or off road). After a few years of the Trek FUEL, I began to notice I could not go the long distances I would have liked and it was difficult to take the necessary items needed with me on a trip of any distance.

I am a career Fire Department Lieutenant and Paramedic with a very busy agency and with 24 years of abuse to my body, I needed to find a better way to cover the distance I wanted, but without the pains to my neck, shoulders back and knees that I regularly experienced after a long ride. Recumbent Trikes were the answer!

After spending almost 11 months researching these machines, several things became very clear;

One, Inspired Cycle Engineering out of the UK … Of the many manufacturers out there, ICE was the one that kept re-appearing conversation after conversation. “It’s the Cadillac or It’s the Rolls-Royce of the Trike industry I was told time after time”…

Two, “These are very VERY EXPENSIVE”…

That being said, I traveled to several custom trike shops in the region to look at these machines first hand. Through out my research I also noticed another recurring theme and that was although these are expensive, “Don’t CUT Corners”. What I came to realize was trike experts (much more experienced then I) were telling us “If you can’t afford it, save your money until you can!” Many Trikers made that very clear and some even had the horror stories to back it up. Several people said they settled for a different trike then they really wanted just to have one, only to find out a year later they had a pile of junk, or were very unhappy with their purchase. The old saying is alive and well even in the recumbent trike business … “You get what you pay for.”

I could see this was going to be a very expensive investment and with that I was also in the market for the perfect dealer, someone that treated me like I was the most important customer they ever had… I found that with The Bike Rack in St. Charles, Illinois. Hal and his family-owned custom shop were outstanding. Their entire staff treated you as though you ARE their most important customer. My new ICE Adventure 2FS arrived in March of 2010 and was then customized in their shop with several changes and additions I requested. Needless to say, they did I great job! The bike rides like the wind and was custom adjusted to my personal body type and riding style.

My preference for riding sits between rural black tops and semi-flat bike trails. Although I am in Chicago, I enjoy the open road and scenic beauty of a county ride. I keep my trike at the ready and take it with me most everywhere I go securely locked to my roof top Yakima rack. This way, no matter where I go, I can grab a ride or be ready to ride if the opportunity affords itself.

Recumbent Triking is the best thing in the world! I can’t think of anything more suited to promoting the human spirit, freedom and relaxation of man. It totally frees your mind and soul of all of the stresses of daily life. Try it and you will be hooked, I Promise…

Happy Triking!

Advertisements

One Response to Triker Brian (ICE Adventure)

Hi Brian,
You are so right when you say ICE trikes are expensive but my research just like yours marked ICE out as THE BEST.
My wife and myself both ride ICE trikes and we live in the north west of England not too far from the seaside resort of Blackpool. Both of our machines are the ‘T’ model, the predecessor of your Adventure. We take them on holiday with us and ride locally whenever we get the chance. Situated were we are it take only a short ride to be out in the countryside. I’ve recently swapped the rear end on my trike and fitted the new style twist and fold set up with a 26″ rear wheel (see Alonzo’s ICE ‘T’). The change has been so good that I will soon be making the same modification to my wife’s trike.
Enjoy your riding.

All About Tricycles

Steve’s Rural Cop Days

Dan’s Simple Living

William’s Longevity Guide

Mark’s Flute Music CD

Pannier Volume Conversion:

One liter equals 61 cubic inches. Doing the math, if a pair of cargo bags is 60 liters, such as the Arkel RT-60 recumbent panniers, this converts to 3,660 cubic inches (60x61). Pannier manufacturers are known to express size both ways, which can be frustrating to a potential customer attempting to compare two different companies. Visualizing cubic inches may be challenging, thus converting to liters may help the mind's analytical eye.